(I sketched the above drawing of my heart when I was too afraid to be vulnerable.)
Now is the time of year when people love to proclaim that they are cleaning their friends lists and leaving people behind for the new year. I have become a pro at only having the best people in my life, thus no need to remove anyone. However, I faced some very challenging situations with people this year and my lesson was to stay in place and allow God to do any removing that was necessary.
Love Gives You Staying Power
“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” It is easy to walk away when relationships are challenging. In the face of oppression or potential rejection it can feel completely justifiable to remove yourself. I faced these kinds of situations this year and had clear directives from God that I was NOT TO LEAVE. No matter how uncomfortable it was for me, I had to stay. In one instance, I had to humble myself and be quiet as people attempted to attack my character. Imagine that – truly allowing God to fight my battles? Well He did in fabulous fashion and I reaped the spoils at the end of the day. Learning to stay and trust God through extreme discomfort rather than running or isolating myself taught me that at times, it is actually better to stay. Sometimes you need to rely on your love for God rather than the person/people in order to stay the course. It is wise to push past your initial emotional response and seek God for your next steps.
If this is resonating with you, perhaps you need to wait a little while for your green light to make a move so that you don’t forfeit your blessing.
Love is Truly Greater than Fear
When you are accustomed to running at the first sign of aggravation in relationships or have commitment issues like I used to, then you may have built up a very strong fortress around your heart just like I did. My challenge to you is that you would allow the Lord to minister to the broken places within you and destroy the wall you have built in exchange for true protection. Allow God to be the fence around your heart – He will saturate you in Love while shielding you from what is harmful. Love will give you the courage to rise above fear and anxiety and to receive the great relationships you should have.
This doesn’t mean that love relationships will always be a cake walk through the park. It does mean that being guided by love gives you peace, joy, and the ability to commit and work through the rough spots.
Love Never Fails
With the exception of abuse (in every form), challenge yourself to stay and love the I Corinthians 13 way. It’s not a warm, fluffy passage of scripture about love. This is a hardcore formula for a lifestyle of love that teaches us how to stay connected in a world that encourages us to choose self-preservation over community, support, and true friendship.
Your strategy for experiencing real Love in 2020? Seek to connect with the right individuals, groups, and organizations and stay connected. Work through conflict, practice forgiveness, humble yourself and reap the rewards.
